Carbon Tax Showdown

Declaring his candidacy last month, Ford demanded an end to the carbon tax at a time when his rivals were both trying to have it both ways — a carbon tax if necessary, but not necessarily a carbon tax, writes Martin Regg Cohn.

Within days, Elliott buckled — first claiming she was personally opposed but would consult caucus (pro-tax) and membership, before finally siding with Ford. Mulroney held out until Thursday before acquiescing to the pressure of a Tory tidal wave against any global warming measures.

A carbon tax is the ultimate litmus test, a barometer of Tory fidelity, a conversation-stopper for any candidate aspiring to woo the grassroots. If you are for a carbon tax, we are against you, nothing else to discuss, might as well end the call — forget about it.

Remember the People’s Guarantee? It promised assorted tax cuts and campaign sweeteners bankrolled by a new carbon tax.

Brown made a public show of affixing his signature to an oversized copy of the campaign pledge at November’s policy convention, “guaranteeing” he’d not seek a second term if he didn’t keep his key promises. He never got to a first term, quitting as party leader last month amid allegations of sexual misconduct that undercut his People’s Guarantee to promote “Trust, Integrity and Accountability.”

Never mind Brown. Consider the fine print in the platform where he boasts, “I’m signing my name to it and so is the Ontario PC candidate in your community (my italics).”